


Lost In Translation(s)

by helianskies



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Advice, Arguing, Gen, Historical References, Humor, Misunderstandings, Nationverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:36:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29606766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helianskies/pseuds/helianskies
Summary: Gilbert is annoyed at Antonio, and the Spaniard doesn't understand why he's still hung up on it! It's been two weeks! He should be over it, and it's not like it's Antonio’s fault in the first place!Arthur may just shed a bit more light on the situation for him before things get any worse.(or; Antonio is a blind fool and Arthur gives him some figurative glasses.)
Relationships: England & Spain (Hetalia), Prussia & Spain (Hetalia)
Kudos: 11





	Lost In Translation(s)

"Gil, I— I'm sorry!"

"You don't even know what you're apologising for! I've never heard such bullshit in all my life—and it's been a _very long life,_ Toni!"

"I do know, I do! B-But it's not even my fault!"

"Just leave me alone to get some food! Piss off!"

" _Arghh_ , what are you two assholes arguing about? I came out here for _peace,_ " a sharp huff came from behind them—behind Antonio, really, because Gilbert walked off on his way, out of the small park area around the corner from today's conference and along the streets to find some lunch (and because, more importantly, he apparently still held a grudge against the Spaniard after two weeks).

Antonio stopped chasing him when he got to the fencing. It was a lost cause. Gilbert wouldn't hear him out, so instead, he fell back and sat down on the bench next to Arthur, who was nursing a cigarette and a headache if the last half hour of the meeting was anything to go off of. The second-hand smoke was not unwelcome. Antonio breathed out—breathed out his mild anguish—and leaned back against the curved wooden frame.

"Care to explain what that was about?" the blonde asked him. The cigarette hung between his fingers, ash tumbling to the paved ground under their feet. "I don't think I've seen you two bicker since the early nineties—not enough for him to walk off in a strop. What's wrong? Haven't given his ego a good massage lately?"

"Nothing like that," Antonio replied with a shake of his heavy head. "I took him to the _Islas Canarias_."

"That's… it? That's what's put him in a foul mood? You took him on _holiday?_ "

The brunette shrugged a weak shrug, a tired shrug; "He's been going on about them for a while, he complained that I'd never shown him them or even offered to give him a tour." Antonio sighed again. "So, I finally found a free week in my schedule, just this month, where we could go together… And we only ended up staying for three days."

Arthur scoffed in disbelief and lifted his cigarette to his lips, quipping a quick: "I'd _kill_ for a trip away," before he continued.

"You always know you're welcome—"

"I am _not_ going to Malaga."

"Alright, Mr. Snob. Your _people_ don't seem to mind it! Or Alicante. Or Benidorm. Or… literally _any_ of the islands," Antonio said with a soft smile, a playful tone. "I was going to offer up Madrid, though. It _is_ where I spend most of my time."

"Ha! More reason to avoid it, surely."

The Spaniard snorted and raised his hands in mock surrender, before they fell back into his lap. He played with his fingers, picked at the skin and cuticles. "That aside," he remarked, bringing them back to the matter at hand, "Gilbert has been upset with me for the past two weeks because of this, and I can't get him to snap out of it. It's actually somehow _worse_ than the time I sent him a birthday card and it arrived a day late because of a bank holiday, so his petty ass didn't send me a card at all!"

Arthur puffed out the smoke and clicked his tongue. "I remember that; you wouldn't stop glaring at him while we were all having lunch together at Francis' place," he remarked. "I'm surprised no one was murdered…"

"I know! And like I said: _this is worse!_ " Antonio exclaimed.

He lifted a hand to his head and scratched just behind his ear, perhaps out of a kind of nervousness that made him worry that Gilbert would take this grudge too far. They had fought over many ridiculous things in their shared time together as friends and nations, regardless of whether they were allies or enemies at the time. Ridiculousness was natural to them. It festered between them, it formed some of the cement mixture that held their bond so strongly and securely together.

This wouldn't actually last, would it? It wasn't even Antonio's fault. Gilbert was just… being difficult. And stubborn. And honestly, _he needs to get over it and stop being an ass about it._ Antonio just wanted to have a normal conversation with him as good friends should... 

( _Was I this bad? Did I hold grudges like this over trivial things? Do I still? Am I still an ass, too?_ )

"I still don't get it," Arthur stated in the meantime. His cigarette was at its end, so he put it out on the metal arm of the bench and tossed the stub into the bin to his other side. "What is he actually mad about? It can't be because you went away together, surely to God."

"Oh, no, it isn't that we went away. It's just… Well…" Antonio gave a meek smile in an effort to not instead laugh, and appear so unhinged by his friend's behaviour. "We went to the Canary Islands, yes?"

"Yeah…?"

"And he loves canaries."

"As we all know _very_ well from that ghastly underwear Francis bought him for Christmas last year, that he proceeded to parade around in, and _only_ in," Arthur concurred. "Your point?"

"The Canary Islands, contrary to popular belief, are not yellow with canaries. Not like I think he was expecting," Antonio said. His smile held, but it became a bit lopsided, "you know, because of the namesake?"

"Ah." Arthur smirked and looked at Antonio, thoroughly entertained. "He thought the islands would literally be covered in yellow birds?"

" _Literally_ ," the Spaniard nodded. "When I explained to him that canaries _are_ there but are far from the only bird species, and definitely not there in their millions, he asked why the archipelago has such a misleading name…"

"And that reason being…?"

"Because of the Romans," he explained. This was a conversation he'd had a few times with a few people (tourists, mostly) but it had lost its joy, its intrigue, "because of either the wild dogs on the island, or the seals—' _sea_ dogs'—they found there. _Not_ because of the canary population."

"Oh, he must have been devastated _._ Poor chap."

"He was. I asked him to give the islands a chance but I could see that by the time we went from Gran Canaria to Tenerife, he still wasn't _happy,_ " Antonio sighed once more. All he had _wanted_ was for Gil to be happy, but... "I mean, within even a _day_ of being there, the 'excited kid' was no longer at the sweet shop but at a funeral! He seemed so miserable to me! So I just… eventually sent him back to Berlin and stayed on Tenerife alone for the rest of the week…"

At that, Arthur raised a brow and turned slightly more towards Antonio. He seemed sceptical about something all of a sudden, so the brunette gave him a quizzical look in turn. _Did I say something wrong…?_

"Antonio?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure it's the _canaries_ he's annoyed about?"

"Well, yeah. What else would it be?"

"Oh, I don't know," Arthur remarked, though his tone was overly airy and jestful, "perhaps it was the fact that you packed his bags for him and shipped him home so suddenly and cut his time on the islands short, without giving him a proper chance to appreciate them. _Just a thought_."

Antonio blinked and averted his gaze, letting his eyes fall to the grass patches around them. Would that be why Gilbert was upset with him? Because he… hadn't persevered and let him get used to the different islands? Was it really _not_ about the birds, but... Antonio's lack of resilience, a lack of willing to let him try to enjoy something he personally loved so much...?

"I… I'm an idiot."

"And it's taken you _how many_ centuries to admit it?"

"Shut up," he dismissed with a roll of his eyes. Arthur was a friend but there were times and places for banter, and this wasn't one of them. "I need to talk to him—apologise…"

"Then there's no point sitting here with me, is there?" Arthur responded. "You should go and find him. Break's over in—" He checked his wristwatch. "—twenty-five minutes."

"Yeah, you're… You're right. I should. I'll just—" Antonio stood up and turned to face the direction he had watched Gilbert disappear in, already starting to think where he would have gone ( _somewhere to grab food, somewhere small and quiet. Maybe if I call him, he'll speak to me…?_ ) before he looked back to Arthur, who remained on the bench, still smiling. "Thank you." The words slipped out. "For listening to me, and… Yeah…"

Arthur nodded and, to Antonio's relief, did not push for that acknowledgement, for the admission of the other's mistake. They understood each other like that—two proud fools who liked to preserve what dignity they could, when they could. Admissions of mistakes were not something either of them could often afford.

"Just go and get him," Arthur said instead, head nodding towards the city streets, "and make it up to him."

Antonio planned to do exactly that and he set off immediately, following where the Prussian had gone to. They needed to have a serious chat about all of this: Antonio's inability to read minds, and Gilbert's inability to speak his own. All he had to do first was find the idiot, pin him to a wall and, well… give him his 'apology'. 

This would be the last time Gilbert didn't tell Antonio what was bothering him, he would make sure of it!

**Author's Note:**

> Toni: i've been so blind! how did i not see this for myself!!?¿!
> 
> Arthur: ShOuLd'Ve GoNe To SpEcSaVeRs--
> 
> * * *
> 
> there are many reasons as to why the Canary Islands are called as such, often being linked to dogs/deals that the Romans found ('canaria'). what is clear, however, is that Antonio is an idiot and Gilbert is an idiot who needs to talk about his feelings more.
> 
> (Antonio is also an asshole for essentially 'making' Gilbert go home, i won't deny it. but i guess that, if he sees that something he loves does not bring someone else the same joy, he isn't going to force them to keep going. he would think of that as punishment, so after a lot of insistence, he probably convinced a defeated Gilbert to go and enjoy his week at home instead. i'm sure Gilbert would have stayed just to spend some time one-on-one with his friend but he wasn't really given a chance to. but... i'm SURE they'll work it out now that Arthur has stepped in and helped Antonio out...)
> 
> ((let's just not question Antonio's methods, kay? Gil's in for a shoCk ;D))


End file.
